The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Attention and Aggression in Children less than 12 Years Old

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mindfulness on attention and aggression in children less than 12 years Old in Tehran.

The research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population consisted of all 8-12 year old children in Tehran who were referred to image counseling center by school principals due to aggression and attention deficit disorder. Then they were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups (12 experimental and 12 controls). The mindfulness program was administered to the experimental group in eight sessions of 90 minutes once a week. Questionnaires of Child Abuse and Co-workers (2008) and Robertson et al. (1999) Questionnaire were used for data collection. Covariance analysis test was used for data analysis.

The results showed that mindfulness is effective on attention and aggression in children less than 12 years of age in Tehran (p < 0.001). Mindfulness was also effective on sustained attention, selective attention, attention control and on aggressive components including verbal, physical, relational and impulsive (p < 0.001).

Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that applying mindfulness techniques can improve attention problems and reduce aggression in children. It seems negative thoughts and emotions, developmental delays and difficulty communicating with others, and high levels of stress in adapting to the environment are reduced by mindfulness exercises, followed by increased skills in managing pleasant behaviors and thoughts in children.